Don't Leave Me
by Katriel1
Summary: A psycho stalks Alex as Sydney blames herself for Gage getting shot. Chapter Five added - story finished.
1. Beginning

Don't Leave Me   
By Katriel   
  
Disclaimer: I don't own the show Walker, Texas Ranger or any of its characters. This story was written   
solely for my entertainment and I am not making any money off it.   
  
"Alex!"   
Texas Ranger Cordell Walker let the door slam behind him as he headed for the kitchen, carrying a   
carton of milk in one hand and a bouquet of wildflowers in the other. He nearly tripped over his   
daughter's toys as he made his way through the living room, and his calls turned to, "Angela!"   
"Daddy!" Angela Walker, a blond, blue-eyed cherub so adorably innocent it was hard to imagine her   
doing anything wrong, ran toward her father and raised her arms up for a hug. Walker obliged as best he   
could with both hands full, then continued on into the kitchen.   
"It's about time, Cowboy," Alex Cahill-Walker teased, turning to give her husband a hug. Alex's blond   
hair and big blue eyes, so much like Angela's, masked the intelligent and sometimes strong-willed   
personality of the Assistant District Attorney.   
"Sorry, Alex," Walker apologized to his wife, placing the milk on the counter and extending the flowers   
toward Alex. She smiled, at the eager, boyish expression on his face as well as at the flowers.   
"Thank you, Cowboy." She leaned over to give him a quick kiss, then laughed self-consciously as her   
swollen abdomen got in the way. "I'm about ready for Angela's little sister to show up," she admitted,   
placing the flowers in a vase as Walker put the milk in the refrigerator.   
"Be patient, Alex," Walker reminded her with laughter in his voice. "She'll be here in just a few more   
weeks." He lifted his four-year-old daughter into his arms and looked into the guileless, angelic blue eyes.   
"Angela." Walker spoke gently but firmly. "What did Mommy tell you about leaving toys in the floor?   
Daddy nearly tripped over them, and if Daddy tripped, he might get hurt. You wouldn't want that to   
happen, would you?"   
Angela's eyes dropped to the floor, and she shook her head slowly. Walker gave her a quick kiss on the   
cheek and placed her on the floor, where she scurried to pick up the toys.   
Watching as his daughter carefully avoided making eye contact, Walker sighed. "I wish she wasn't so   
sensitive, Alex. Even when we're gentle about it, every little correction makes her sulk."   
Alex gently touched her husband's arm. "You know, Walker, my dad used to say I was pretty sensitive   
as a child. I would cry every time someone tried to tell me 'no'. Who knows...maybe Angela takes after   
me in personality."   
"Maybe you're right, honey." Walker was visibly relieved. He smiled as he thought of Alex's confidence   
in court, of the way she stood with her back ramrod-straight and her blue eyes direct and piercing. Alex   
Cahill-Walker was anything but timid.   
"Well, honey," Walker placed a kiss on his wife's forehead, "I must say that our little Angela couldn't   
find a better person to take after than her mom."   
Alex giggled softly. "You're buttering me up. You know just as well as I do that she'd do every bit as   
well taking after her daddy."   
Eyes narrowed, the black-clad man sat across the road, watching them through his binoculars. The sight   
of the Ranger playfully arguing with his wife was enough to start the fires of rage burning within the man.   
"He's not good for you, Aiosha," The man muttered, his words slurring softly. "You shouldn't be taking   
care of him and that little blond brat like any common housewife. You're a queen and we're meant to be   
together."   
He lowered his binoculars, forcing himself to wait. He would free her from her burdens, and when the   
time was right, he would help her escape these bonds that were life. She would ascend into her destiny   
beside him, where she belonged. Of one thing he felt certain: she would adore him for all eternity, because   
he would be the one to free her from this prison of flesh.   
Fingering the gun in his pocket, he placed his binoculars back on the dash. "Soon, Aiosha, soon," He   
muttered to himself. "Soon we will be free...my queen and I...free to reign forever more..."   
His maniacal laugh startled the deer feeding nearby as he revved the engine and sped away from the   
Walker Ranch, plotting how he would help the beautiful queen find her destiny.   
~~~~~   
"Gage!" The exasperation in the voice of Texas Ranger Sydney Cooke-Gage was evident as she stood,   
hands on hips, and glared daggers at her husband, in a way that only the dark-haired, petite woman could   
do.   
Ranger Francis Gage, tall, blond, and muscular, tried to look innocent, but he knew he'd done it again.   
At least she didn't call me Francis this time, He reflected wryly. From the expression on the face of the   
beautiful spitfire, however, he would soon suffer the humiliation of being called by his given name, unless   
he responded quickly.   
"Well, uh, Syd..." He made his eyes very wide, trying to look as innocent as possible. "I'm sorry,   
Sweetheart, it's just that I love you and I worry about you. If anything ever happened to you...if..." He let   
his voice trail off.   
Sydney softened noticeably. "I know, darlin', and I love you very much too, but just because I'm   
pregnant doesn't mean I'm made of glass. You've been treating me like I could shatter any moment. Good   
heavens, Gage, it's been three weeks since we found out and I haven't even had morning sickness yet!"   
Gage waited patiently until Sydney stopped for a breath; then he gently placed his hands on her   
shoulders. "Syd, I know I'm being overprotective of you, and I'm sorry, but give me some slack, okay? I   
love you more than life itself, and if something happened to you it would destroy me."   
Sydney looked away, surprised at Gage's heartfelt statement. She cleared her throat. "I love you too,   
Gage. I'm sorry for getting mad at you. I guess..." She shrugged her slender shoulders. "It must be   
hormones or something." She glanced mischievously at her husband. "Just think, you've got six and a half   
more months of this to look forward to!"   
Gage groaned, and Sydney laughed and gave him a hug. "All right, tough guy, let's go to work."   
Knowing he had lost the argument, Gage quietly followed his wife out to the car. Sydney was on desk duty   
now, but Gage had wanted her to stay home because of a slight headache. Strong-willed Sydney, of course,   
wouldn't hear of it.   
Sydney reached the car first and quickly claimed the driver's side. Gage groaned. "Aw, Syd,   
c'mon...can't you give me a chance to prove I really can drive?"   
A wicked sparkle showing in her dark eyes, Sydney retorted, "Not on your life, Francis darling." She   
cheerfully noticed the way he winced when she called him by his first name.   
When Gage and Sydney were just a few blocks from the courthouse, the radio suddenly crackled to life.   
"We've got a convenience store robbery, three heavily armed suspects said to be heading north in a green   
truck..."   
Sydney noted the location of the convenience store, and her eyes widened. "Gage...that's only a few   
blocks from here!"   
"Syd." Gage spoke in a low tone. "I want you to drive to the courthouse and when we get there, I want   
you to get out and go inside." When she hesitated for a brief second, he snapped, "Do what I said,   
Sydney!"   
To his surprise, she quietly obeyed, even though her Ranger instincts tried to kick in as she pulled up in   
front of the large stone building and saw the green truck coming toward them at breakneck speed, a cop   
car close behind.   
Syd slammed on the brakes and the car screeched to a stop. Grabbing her by the wrist, Gage pulled her   
behind the car, palming his pistol as he did so. Sydney automatically reached for her own gun, but Gage   
spoke sharply to her as the sirens grew closer. "Syd, get inside! Quick!" When she hesitated again, not   
wanting to leave him, he yelled, "Now!"   
She turned and ran up the steps, willing herself not to trip. Behind her, Sydney heard a gun fire—it was   
quickly answered by the bark of Gage's pistol. Syd knew he would try to keep their attention away from   
her, but, oh Lord...he better not get himself killed doing so!   
A bullet whizzed by her and she nearly lost her balance, but she made it through the door and to safety.   
Hearing the gunfire still going on outside, she slumped to a sitting position, resting her head on her knees.   
Of all the rotten times to get nauseated...   
It was all over in a matter of minutes—one robber dead, the other two wounded and in custody. Sydney   
headed out as soon as it was safe, and when she saw the paramedics kneeling over a man in a bloodstained   
gray shirt, she knew immediately who he was.   
"Gage!" She pleaded, getting as close to him as she could. His eyes were closed, his face was ashen—he   
was completely unresponsive.   
"Gage!" Her voice rose as they loaded him into the ambulance. "Gage, don't you dare leave me!"   
Sydney Cooke-Gage, one of the toughest and most competent Texas Rangers in the state, sat down on   
the curb and cried. 


	2. Guilt

Chapter Two   
By Katriel   
  
Disclaimer: See Chapter One   
  
Alex was in her office when she heard the shots. She'd gone in to clean out her desk,   
preparing for maternity leave, and was just organizing the last stack of papers when the   
fight started outside.   
Her heart thumping, Alex stayed where she was until the gunfire finally died down. She   
then cautiously made her away out to the front of the building and peered out.   
A quick glance of her blue eyes took in the scene—paramedics were loading a limp form   
into an ambulance. Alex's eyes widened when she recognized the obviously distraught   
woman standing off to the side. If Sydney was that upset, it could only be...   
"Gage," Sydney whispered, staring blankly at the cracked concrete next to her feet. She   
felt a gentle hand touch her arm, helping her to stand, and she looked into the concerned   
blue eyes of Alex Cahill-Walker.   
"Syd." Alex pulled her friend into a comforting hug. "Gage...what happened? Is he...?"   
"I don't know." Sydney's breath caught in her throat. "I don't know how bad...they're   
taking him to Methodist."   
"Come on," Alex said instantly, leading Sydney toward her car. On the way to the   
hospital, the dark-haired Ranger explained what had happened. She was silent for a   
moment afterward, then suddenly burst out, "It's my fault, Alex! If I hadn't argued with   
him—if I'd just stayed home—he'd have gotten to work fifteen minutes earlier and none   
of this would have happened."   
"Oh, Sydney." Alex's heart ached for her friend—she understood from experience what   
Sydney was going through. "That's not true. You couldn't possibly have foreseen what   
was going to happen, and anyway, you know Gage. Even if he'd already been at work,   
he'd probably have rushed out there when he heard the gunfire. Sydney...blaming yourself   
isn't going to help anything."   
Sydney stared straight ahead and didn't respond. She stayed silent as Alex parked the   
car, and she didn't speak as she paced back and forth across the shiny white tile floor in   
the waiting room, desperate for some news on the man she loved.   
Just when Alex thought the female Ranger must surely collapse from exhaustion, a   
doctor finally stepped into the room and questioned, "Anyone here family of Francis   
Gage?"   
Sydney stopped pacing. "I'm his wife," She croaked, her mouth suddenly dry. She was   
terrified of what she might hear the doctor say.   
Seeing the strain on the dark-haired woman's face, Dr. Andrew Covington smiled in a   
comforting way. "Your husband took two bullets, Mrs. Gage," He began. She closed her   
eyes and swayed as if she might faint.   
Reaching out to steady Sydney, Dr. Covington hurried to explain, "Fortunately for him,   
neither wound was really serious. He was shot once in the shoulder and once in the side,   
but both were flesh wounds. We stitched him up; he lost quite a bit of blood but he should   
be fine."   
Sydney sighed in relief. She leaned over to share a brief hug with Alex, then turned back   
to Dr. Covington. "Doctor, may I see my husband?" She asked.   
He nodded. "He isn't awake yet, but he should be soon. I'm sure nothing could be better   
for him than seeing his wife," The doctor added with a smile.   
Alex waited as Sydney was led off down the hall, toward Gage's room. With a sigh, the   
blond ADA sat back down; her back was aching and the baby was performing vigorous   
water aerobics, but Alex's weariness was shoved to the back of her mind by the relief she   
felt at knowing Gage would be all right.   
Feeling eyes on her, Alex glanced across the room to see a man watching her. He turned   
away quickly when her eyes met his; Alex noticed that he wore black jeans and a dark blue   
shit. He had longish dark hair and eyes that were blue or gray—hard to tell at that   
distance.   
He was probably in his early forties and quite good-looking, but his presence made Alex   
uneasy. There was nothing alarming in his appearance, but...there was something about his   
eyes, something that bothered her.   
You've been around Walker too long, Alexandra Cahill-Walker, Alex chided herself.   
Maybe you're developing that 'Cherokee intuition' Jimmy is always teasing Walker   
about. She managed to convince herself that the dark-haired man was harmless, but even   
so, she carefully avoided looking his direction again.   
~~~~~   
"Syd?" Gage's eyes opened just moments after Sydney walked into the room. She   
jumped to her feet when she heard her husband's voice. "You might as well sit down,   
Shorty," Gage suggested with a mischievous grin. "You ain't gonna grow any taller."   
Sydney tried to feign annoyance, but she was too relieved. "Francis Gage, don't you   
ever do that again! you scared me half to death!" She took her hand in both of hers and   
gazed into his eyes.   
There was a brief silence, in which Sydney's mood changed completely, as Gage had   
learned a pregnant woman's moods were wont to do. "I'm sorry," Sydney whispered, her   
dark eyes filming over with tears.   
"Syd..." Gage's blue eyes stared into the brown eyes of his wife. "Don't you dare blame   
yourself for what hapened. I would have been in the middle of the fight anyway, and it   
might have been worse if we hadn't shown up when we did." He gently squeezed her hand   
and watched as her expression turned from tearful to smiling.   
"You know what, Francis Gage?" Sydney said suddenly. "You've been ordering me   
around a lot lately. 'Drive to the courthouse!' 'Go inside—now!' 'Don't you dare blame   
yourself'!" She mimicked his voice, hands on hips. She was trying to look stern, but Gage   
could see the teasing sparkle in her eyes.   
"Yeah, well, I guess you're right." Smiling innocently, he added, "It's kinda fun, too—I   
think I could definitely get used to it. In fact, I've got another order for you right now:   
kiss me!"   
Sydney opened her mouth to reply, but Gage reached up with his good arm and pulled   
her down toward him, giving her no chance to argue. 


	3. Autumn

Chapter Three   
By Katriel   
  
Disclaimer: See Chapter One.   
Thanks for y'alls kind reviews...I hope you're having as much fun reading this as I am   
writing it. : )   
  
Gage was released from the hospital the following day, with strict instructions to take it   
easy. The doctor, who had dealt with hard-headed Francis Gage before, made sure that   
Sydney knew to keep Gage off his feet for the most part. "If you need to, just whack him   
over the head, Sydney." Dr. Covington teased.   
Gage disobeyed the doctor's orders as best he could, but still recovered very rapidly. He   
whined about being off duty and fussed over Sydney until she was seriously tempted to   
take Dr. Covington's advice.   
Meanwhile, the time drew closer for Alex's scheduled cesarean. Her doctor had decided   
that, because of the difficult time she'd had with Angela, it was too risky for Alex to   
deliver her second baby naturally. Alex had initially balked at the idea of a second C-  
section, but after being told of the high risk involved with attempting a VBAC in her   
situation, she changed her mind.   
October 10, the date of Alex's C-section, was a beautiful day—bright sunshine met   
Alex's eyes as she blinked and looked at the clock. It was nearly 7:30 AM, so Alex   
laboriously pulled herself out of bed and got dressed. Her stomach was in knots as she   
remembered her first C-section, but she told herself that it would be all right this time—  
not like the confusing, painful swirl of events surrounding Angela's birth.   
Alex and Walker were both mostly silent on the ride to the hospital. They'd left Angela   
with Sydney and Gage for the day, and as they'd hugged and kissed their beautiful child   
goodbye, they had both remembered how close they'd come to losing her.   
As the Ranger and his very pregnant wife parked the truck and walked toward the   
hospital doors, they were completely unaware of the dark, tormented eyes that followed   
their every move. "Yes, Aiosha," the man muttered. "Get rid of the child who is living off   
your body like a parasite, and then we will be free to be together."   
Alex was very nervous, and she gripped Walker's hand throughout the surgery, but her   
anxiety was forgotten when the shrill, tremulous cry of a newborn split the air. "You have   
a daughter, Mrs. Walker," Dr. Emily Rosenthal announced cheerfully.   
"Where is she? I want to see her!" Alex was frustrated, but she calmed down after the   
nurse washed and wrapped the newborn and brought her over to her mother.   
"Oh, Walker." Alex whispered, enraptured, completely unaware of the surgeon stitching   
her up. "Look at her...isn't she perfect?" The newest addition to the Walker family had   
very dark blue eyes and a thick swatch of reddish brown hair. She had stopped crying and   
seemed content to gaze wide-eyed at her enthralled parents.   
"Yeah." Walker's voice was soft as he gently touched the tiny hand of his daughter.   
"She's amazing." He smiled at Alex. "So, have you decided on a name yet?" He   
questioned, knowing they'd only managed to narrow their list down to three or four   
names.   
"Autumn," Alex responded immediately. "She's definitely an Autumn Hope."   
Walker smiled and, after gazing at the baby for a moment, nodded in agreement. "I think   
you're right, Alex. Angela Faith and Autumn Hope." He leaned over to plant a gentle kiss   
on his wife's cheek. "We have a beautiful family, Alex."   
Suddenly choked up, Alex could only nod her agreement as she nursed baby Autumn for   
the first time.   
~~~~~   
Angela was instantly full of questions about the new arrival, but to the relief of her   
parents, she didn't seem jealous. She was very protective of her little sister and helped out   
as much as she could.   
Autumn's eyes soon changed from blue to dark gray, and her hair turned lighter,   
unmistakably matching the shade of Walker's reddish hair. She was a pretty baby, quiet   
and undemanding. Unlike Angela, she was usually very easy to get to sleep.   
As for Gage and Sydney, Gage was almost fully recovered and ready to go back to duty,   
and Sydney's first sonogram showed a healthy baby turned in exactly the wrong direction   
for the gender to be ascertained. Sydney just laughed and said that her baby must be   
stubborn, just like his daddy. Gage raised his eyebrows at that, but wisely refrained from   
making a reply.   
All was going well; Alex enjoyed the time she got to spend with her two daughters. She   
chatted with Sydney and Trivette's wife Erica, mostly about babies—Trivette and Erica   
were planning to start a family sometime soon, so Erica wanted to know all about   
pregnancy and, as she put it, "all that baby stuff".   
Alex had no clue—not even a subtle hint or a feeling that something was wrong—  
to warn her that she was being stalked. That was why, when the storm burst suddenly and   
violently upon her horizon, she was shocked—and defenseless. 


	4. Abduction

It had been a gorgeous day in late November, over a month since Autumn's birth. A   
cold norther had blown through the previous evening, and now the air was rain-washed   
and sparkling, without a trace of smog.   
Alex shivered a little in the pleasantly chilly night air, holding her baby close to her as   
she walked through the dimly lit grocery store parking lot. It was just past closing time for   
the store, and she was the last one leaving—she'd worked late, then picked up Autumn   
from the HOPE Center. Angela was staying the night with Josie, her husband Ben, and   
their three-year-old daughter Karen.   
Alex suddenly got that all-too-familiar uneasy feeling and quickened her steps, holding   
her chubby, blond baby in one arm and the sack of groceries in the other.   
She strapped Autumn into her carseat, then quickly shut and locked the door. She had   
walked around the car and was fumbling nervously with the keys when she heard a   
footstep behind her and something hard pressed into her back.   
"Turn around," A voice commanded quietly. Alex obeyed, still holding the keys, and   
looked into the barrel of a gun. The man holding the gun had a hood pulled low over his   
forehead, concealing his features. Alex couldn't be sure, but she didn't think she'd ever   
heard the voice before.   
"Oh, Aiosha." The man's voice had an incongruously worshipful tone. "I get to meet   
you at last. My beautiful queen."   
Alex knew she should probably keep her mouth shut, but it wasn't something she was   
accustomed to doing, so she spoke, keeping her voice calm and even. "I'm afraid you have   
the wrong person. My name isn't Aiosha."   
Instantly the man's expression changed. Roughly, he grabbed her arm. "You don't know   
yet," He snapped, "but you are! You are! I can make you the queen you were destined to   
be!" He yanked on her arm. "Come on!"   
"But, my baby..." Alex looked helplessly toward the car, where small Autumn, strapped   
securely into her car seat, hadn't made a sound. She must be sleeping still, Alex realized.   
"Forget the kid!" The man replied harshly. "She is nothing. She stands in the way of   
destiny. Leave her to her fate, whatever it may be."   
Alex had no other option, so with one sorrowful look back at the car, she allowed the   
man to lead her through the dingy parking lot. She fought tears as she thought of her   
beautiful baby, alone in the car all night. Oh, God, please let someone find her, Alex   
prayed silently.   
She was forced to climb into an old, beat-up green car. Her abductor climbed in beside   
her; keeping his gun pointed at her, he cuffed her hands behind her back, then tied her feet   
together with a length of rope. Taking an oversized bandanna, he tied it around her eyes.   
When he was finished, he pushed her over until she was lying down across the back seat.   
Alex heard the car start, then back up with a protesting squeal. Her thoughts were with   
Autumn, but she realized she was in very serious danger.   
They drove for what seemed like hours; Alex was beginning to drift off to sleep when   
she suddenly felt a strange vibration at her side. Her eyes flew open under the bandanna,   
and she caught her breath.   
Her cell phone! It was in her pocket and, thank God, she had turned off the ringer   
earlier, so it wouldn't wake the sleeping Autumn. Oh, God, don't let him find my cell   
phone! Alex prayed desperately.   
Finally, sometime in the wee hours of the morning, the car turned onto a dirt road. They   
drove for a few minutes, then came to a stop. Alex's body tensed as she heard the driver   
door open.   
"Why, Aiosha, you don't need to be scared of me," The kidnapper said calmly as he   
lifted Alex and carried her, still bound and gagged, toward an abandoned farmhouse. In   
the dim moonlight, the house looked spooky—all creaky boards and peeling gray paint.   
He knew just the right spot; pulling the keyring from his pocket, he unlocked the rusty   
trap door, then coaxed it open. He carried Alex down the stairs; her body was tense and   
trembling against his. She was frightened now, but once he freed her, he was certain she'd   
be forever grateful.   
Placing her on the old cot, he uncuffed her hands and took off her blindfold. Alex   
blinked sleepily and looked around her, unable to see much because of the dim lighting.   
Without another word, her captor left, closing and locking the door behind him. When   
she was sure he was gone, Alex took out her cell phone and, with shaking fingers, dialed   
Walker's mobile phone number. She was sure he'd know she was gone by now, and he'd   
be looking for her.   
One ring. Two rings.   
Three. Four.   
Walker, pick up the stupid phone!   
Six rings.   
Walker, please...   
~~~~~   
Walker had worked late, too, and arrived home exhausted, looking forward to seeing   
Alex and Autumn. His body tensed as soon as he saw that there were no lights on in the   
house—either Alex had gone to sleep awfully early, or something was wrong.   
A few minutes later, he stood in the middle of the living room, his fears confirmed. He   
called Alex's cell phone number and didn't get an answer. His mind was racing—where   
had she gone last? She'd called him, telling him she was going to pick up Autumn and   
head home...   
The grocery store! She'd mentioned casually that they needed milk and eggs, and the   
small grocery store on the outskirts of town was the place she usually stopped.   
Maybe...just maybe...she'd been there.   
Walker ran outside, jumped in his silver Dodge truck, and headed back toward Dallas.   
~~~~~   
He pulled up in front of the grocery store, his eyes roaming the parking lot. They   
stopped on the lone car, and he felt his heartbeat accelerate rapidly: it was Alex's car. The   
store, he knew, had been closed for nearly an hour now...so where was his wife?   
Walker's pulse quickened even more when he looked in the window and saw Autumn   
strapped in the car seat. Thankful that at least his daughter was safe, Walker tried to open   
the door to get to his daughter, who appeared to be sleeping.   
The door was locked—something just wasn't right here. Walker knew that Alex would   
never leave Autumn in the car, doors locked or otherwise, so where had his wife   
disappeared to? Could she have placed Autumn in the car, locked the door, then been   
abducted?   
Walker pulled his pistol out of its holster and, using the butt of the gun, broke the   
window on the driver's side window; Autumn was in the back seat on the passenger side,   
and Walker wanted to make sure she wasn't hit by flying glass.   
The month-old baby was rudely awakened by the sound of shattering glass, and she   
screamed at the top of her lungs as Walker quickly reached through and pulled up the   
lock, not even noticing as he cut his arm. He quickly leaned across the seat and unstrapped   
his infant daughter, pulling her comfortingly into his arms. "It's all right, baby," He   
soothed. "We'll find your mommy. I promise we will."   
Walker was too far away from his truck, and too occupied with his loudly crying   
daughter, to hear his phone ringing. 


	5. Confrontation

Alex listened to the phone ring for the twelvth time. Walker, she screamed   
inwardly, please pick up the phone!   
She heard footsteps overhead; her blue eyes widened in fear. Should she hang up   
now or let it ring for just a moment longer? She might not get another chance to   
contact Walker, and she had to let him know what had happened!   
Suddenly, on the thirteenth ring, the phone was picked up. "Walker." His voice   
sounded breathless. Alex's heart leaped when she heard Autumn crying softly in   
the background. The baby sounded hungry and unhappy...but at least Alex knew   
she was safe.   
"Walker." Alex's voice was little more than a whisper. "I...I've been kidnapped."   
She was suddenly fighting back tears...just hearing her husband's voice made her   
long to see him, and her beautiful daughters. "I don't know who the guy is. He...he   
blindfolded me."   
"Alex! Are you all right?" Walker's concern showed in his voice.   
"I'm all right, Walker, but I think...I don't know what he's planning but...he   
scares me. He's crazy, Walker." Alex closed her eyes and swallowed hard. "I'm in   
a basement. I think I'm in the country somewhere. I'm...just a wild   
guess...probably about an hour outside of Dallas. The guy—he calls me Aiosha.   
He says he's going to set me free. He—"   
Walker heard a creak in the background, and Alex's voice dropped to a terrified   
whisper. "He's coming, Walker! I have to go. I love you. Tell the girls I love   
them." The phone went dead.   
For a moment, the only sound was Autumn's cries. Walker stood very still,   
staring at the phone in his hand. "Hang on, Alex," He whispered. "I'll find you.   
We'll find you."   
Trivette. He had to talk to Trivette.   
Quickly Walker placed Autumn's carseat into the Dodge and headed for Ranger   
Headquarters.   
~~~~~   
Trivette was sitting on the couch next to Erica, watching an old movie, when the   
phone rang. Trivette answered, a hint of laughter still hanging in his voice. "Yeah,   
Trivette."   
"Trivette?" It was Walker's voice. He sounded worried. Trivette sat up straight—  
he knew that when Walker sounded that worried, it was always something serious.   
"What's up, Walker?"   
"It's Alex. She's been kidnapped." Walker sounded tired and stressed out.   
Trivette could hear Autumn crying in the background. "I need you to meet me at   
Ranger Headquarters, Trivette. We've gotta find Alex."   
"Will do." Jimmy hung up the phone and leaned over to give his beautiful wife a   
quick kiss on the cheek. "Gotta go," He explained quickly. Seeing the worry in her   
husband's chocolate brown eyes, Erica asked what was wrong.   
"Alex has been kidnapped." Jimmy gently touched his wife's hand. "It's okay,   
Erica. We'll find her—you know we will."   
Erica fought back tears—she'd become close friends with Alex Cahill-Walker. "I   
know you'll do everything you can, Jimmy."   
She bit down hard on her lip as she watched her husband sprint out the door.   
"Oh, God," Erica prayed, "please protect Jimmy and Walker...and please let them   
find Alex before it's too late!"   
~~~~~   
Texas Ranger Francis Gage was glad to finally be back at work, but he hadn't   
expected to have to work this late on his first day back. "Couldn't they give me a   
little slack? I'm an injured man!" He complained to his dark-haired wife, who had   
thoughtfully stayed to keep him company.   
Sydney laughed and made a face. "Francis Gage, you sure do change your tune   
fast! You've been trying to convince me for the last two weeks that you're   
perfectly fine, but now, as soon as you have to do a little extra paperwork, you're   
making it sound like you're on your deathbed." She gave him a quick kiss. "Well,   
Sweetheart, I think you'll survive."   
Gage frowned, wishing his feisty wife would be a little more sympathetic to his   
plight. He made his most pitiful face and was about to reply when the door   
suddenly opened and Walker came in. He had his month-old daughter with him,   
and he didn't even seem to notice Gage and Sydney, who watched him with   
growing concern.   
"Didn't he leave hours ago?" Sydney asked Gage, who nodded without taking   
his eyes from the older Ranger.   
"Something's up," Gage said softly. He stood up and headed over to Walker,   
who had sat down at his desk and was fidgeting nervously, obviously waiting for   
someone.   
"Hey, Walker?" Gage approached Walker's desk. "What's wrong, man? I   
thought you went home hours ago." Gage looked at Autumn, his confusion   
evident. What, he wondered, is going on here?   
"It's Alex." Walker rested his head on his hands. "She's been kidnapped, Gage.   
She disappeared from the grocery store—I found Autumn strapped into her   
carseat. Then I got a call from Alex saying she's been kidnapped by some psycho   
and taken to someplace in the country. She doesn't even know where she is."   
Sydney, who had followed her husband, heard Walker's words and gasped   
audibly. She leaned over to give Walker a hug. "It's okay," She said softly, trying   
to calm him down. "I'm sure we'll find her. She'll be fine, Walker. She always has   
been before."   
"Yeah, I know." Walker's voice rose slightly. "She's always been fine before! So   
many times she's been fine! I just have to think that one of these days, our luck is   
going to run out. One of these times we aren't going to be so lucky. One of these   
times..."   
He was near tears. Sydney had never thought she'd see the tough, experienced   
Ranger like this. "Hey," She reminded him, "Luck's not all there is, Walker. God   
is looking out for Alex. He's watching over her and He's watching over Autumn.   
Why do you think Alex has survived unharmed through so many dangerous   
situations? She's under the protection of a higher power."   
"Maybe you're right, Sydney." Whatever else Walker might have said was cut   
off as Trivette sprinted in.   
"Hey." He greeted quickly, out of breath from running. "Walker, man, what's   
up? Do you know any more than what you told me?"   
Walker leaned back in his chair, an intense expression on his face. Autumn was   
fussing again, but he didn't even seem to notice as Sydney gently lifted the baby   
out of her carseat, which Walker had unstrapped and brought in with him. Sydney   
cradled the small child and spoke softly to her, calming her down considerably.   
"Alex said the guy seems psycho," Walker was explaining, "And that he calls her   
'Aiosha'. That's all we've got to go on, Trivette—that and the fact that she said   
she thinks they're about an hour out of Dallas. It's just a rough guesstimate, but   
it's something."   
"Aiosha." Trivette repeated, a thoughtful expression crossing his handsome face.   
"Aiosha, Aiosha...I could have sworn I've heard that name somewhere before." He   
turned on his laptop computer and sat down, punching keys. "Hold on...let me do a   
websearch for it."   
A few seconds later he gave a low whistle. "Walker, look at this!" He pointed to   
the screen. "Aiosha is the name of the heroine in the 'Brystien Chronicles'. It was   
a wildly popular sci-fi series written by Martin Williams—came out a few years   
ago, I think. Anyway..." His tone grew more and more somber as he read "...this   
Martin Williams is a bit of a nut. He was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia,   
bipolar disorder and just about everything else you can think of. Got arrested for   
stalking his next-door neighbor..." He gave a low whistle. "He was in a mental   
facility for five months, Walker. He just got released six weeks ago."   
Walker nodded grimly. "Find out all you can about this Williams guy, Trivette,"   
He instructed, then added on a sudden hunch, "and about the Aiosha character in   
the book."   
Trivette merely nodded. Within a few minutes, he had brought up a complete file   
on Martin Williams. "He's thirty-five years old," Trivette reported. "Never been   
married...one living parent, a mother...she's been arrested three times for dealing   
drugs. His papa committed suicide, looks like...he published several fantasy books   
before he hit a gold mine with the Brystien Chronicles. He's...he's apparently   
become 'delusional and dangerous' before."   
Walker stared at the computer screen for a moment, without really seeing it.   
"Trivette," He said finally, "I want you to find out more about the Aiosha   
character."   
Trivette simply nodded. "You got it, man." He searched for a review of the   
Brystien Chronicles, and when he found it and started reading, his heart skipped a   
beat.   
The review said that Aiosha, the heroine of the Brystien Chronicles, was   
supposedly a mortal woman with an ordinary life, completely unaware that once   
she died, she was destined to be the queen of some "Astral Colony". The hero of   
the story, a man named Steele, knew Aiosha's destiny and did her a service by   
ending her earthly life, which at first seemed cruel to Aiosha, until she realized it   
was for the better.   
Trivette was the one who finally found his voice. "That makes for interesting   
fiction," He said softly. "But if this guy starts taking his own story literally..."   
"He thinks Alex is Aiosha," Walker stated in a flat voice. "She told me he kept   
saying something about 'setting her free'. Dear Lord—he thinks he's going to be   
doing her a service by killing her!" His voice rose until he was almost yelling.   
"Trivette, find out more about this Williams. Find out everything. We have to   
figure out where he is!"   
"Okay, Walker. Okay." Trivette swiveled his chair back around to face the   
computer screen. For a few tense moments the only sound was the Ranger's   
fingers tapping on the keyboard, but then suddenly he spoke. "Walker! His   
grandparents, both dead now, owned a place about forty-five minutes out of   
Dallas. You think—?"   
"I think we've got to get out there! Now!" Walker jumped up, checking his gun.   
Trivette and Gage followed, and Sydney started to follow too, still holding Walker   
and Alex's month-old child in her arms.   
Gage leaned over to give his wife a quick kiss on the lips. "You stay here, Syd,"   
He told her. "Take care of Autumn...she looks like she could use a little care." His   
eyes held hers for a brief moment. "I love you, Syd."   
"I love you too, Gage."   
Without another word, he spun and jogged, albeit painfully, in the direction that   
Walker and Trivette had gone.   
~~~~~   
Things had gotten worse when he found her cell phone; she had known then,   
from the expression in his eyes, that he was going to kill her. "You'll thank me,"   
He had told her confidently. "Once your destiny is complete, I know that you'll   
thank me."   
Now, some time later, Alex was sitting in the basement, barefooted, her hair   
tousled, wondering what was taking him so long. She wished Walker was here.   
She wished she could hold Autumn and Angela just one more time, wished she   
could be there to hear her second daughter's first words.   
"God," Alex whispered softly, "if it isn't Your will to get me out of here, please   
take care of Walker and Autumn and Angela. Please, God, please give them a good   
life, even if I'm not a part of it." She blinked against the tears that stung her eyes.   
She'd faced danger before, but it was so different now that she had a family...now   
that she had two beautiful babies who needed her.   
The trap door opened. He was coming—it would be now, Alex knew. Unless a   
miracle occurred, this psycho was about to kill her, about to take her away from   
her family. The most ironic thing of all was that he actually believed, in his own   
twisted mind, that he was helping her.   
Martin Williams had a gun. He was smiling, a very deranged, satisfied smile,   
telling himself that everything would be wonderful after this—he would be free!   
She would be free! Free of the pain that life was always inflicting. Free to explore   
the endless reaches of space. Free to reign...together.   
His own twisted mind couldn't grasp the fact that he was deceiving himself—  
that all he believed to be true was nothing but a fantasy story created by his own   
mind. He was beyond reality, beyond the point of no return, and Alex Cahill-  
Walker was about to become a victim to his psychotic imaginings.   
Alex had prayed for a miracle, and at the last moment, as she was watching   
Williams point the gun at her heart, one occurred. A car pulled up outside, then   
another; she heard the door being beaten down. Martin Williams looked panicked;   
he wavered between finishing the job he had started and facing the intruders.   
Seeing that he was going to shoot, Alex dove to the side as he pulled the trigger.   
She hit her head on a metal pipe and lay stunned on the floor, unable to move,   
waiting for the end, unsure whether the first shot had hit her.   
"Alex!" Walker shouted when he heard the shot. Fearing the worst, he shot the   
lock off the trap door, wrenched it open, and descended the stairs two at a time, his   
gun drawn and held in front of him. Reaching the dingy basement, he stopped   
abruptly—the man facing him, wild-eyed and disheveled, was obviously Martin   
Williams, and the woman lying on the floor.   
Oh, God. Walker thought his heart would stop. He was too late...he had failed   
her this time. He was so shocked by this realization that he didn't notice when   
Martin Williams' gun pointed in his direction. He didn't see the deranged author   
start to tighten his finger on the trigger.   
"Walker!" Trivette yelled from behind him. Two guns fired as one—Williams',   
with his shot grazing Walker's arm, and Trivette's. The bullet from the African-  
American Ranger's gun struck Alex's captor in the heart. He staggered backward,   
his eyes widening. "Aiosha?" Williams whispered. "Aiosha..." His voice trailed   
away and he was dead. The look on his face at that last second, just before life   
fled, told all those watching that he had realized, when it was too late, that he   
wasn't destined to rule an Astral Colony—a far different fate awaited him.   
"Alex." Walker dropped to his knees beside her still form. He reached out to   
touch her hand, and her eyes fluttered open.   
"Walker?" She looked dazed. "What...what happened?"   
"It's okay." Seeing that Alex wasn't badly injured, Walker pulled her into his   
arms. "It's okay, Alex. He can't hurt you now." She threw her arms around his   
neck and buried her face in his chest—her blond hair was tousled but he thought   
she'd never looked more beautiful.   
Watching from the background, Trivette and Gage smiled and exchanged looks.   
God had been merciful, after all—the Walker children would have a mother to   
lovingly guide their steps as they grew into adulthood.   
  
  
THE END 


End file.
